


The Halloween Mishap

by Mystery_Redacted



Series: Darkened Labs [6]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Comfort, Fantasy, Flashback, Fluff, Halloween, More Fluff, Multi, Outing, Scare, halloween festival, tragic flashbacks, trigger - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-14 05:46:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14763767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystery_Redacted/pseuds/Mystery_Redacted
Summary: Everyone is going out to the Halloween festival! But there's some surprises for Cole Inokke this year





	The Halloween Mishap

**Author's Note:**

> It's not halloween but fuck it

This happened every year. Cole chuckled, getting his costume together.

Each and every year, everyone gathered and went to the local Halloween festival in the Creature district. Roxie always told him it was because he always helped with the funding and so, he should at least be present for it. Bull.... Shit. He knew she just wanted an excuse to dress up and go with her brother. And who was he to say no? He found it good to hang out together without work or the high expectations.

So he put the final touches to his costume. He put his pumpkin mask on with it's little crown, a fluffy jacket and boots with heels. Go big or go home. He was the Pumpkin king, the king of Halloween and his mask even lit up!

He breathed in, straightening everything out before heading out. He lived in the Human district and so was walking against the crowd, all of them going to the other one, chatting happily. He sighed, Yes the human was bigger and fancier but..... If the creatures and humans did it together.... Even this little festival could be huge and magical.

His first stop was to Mike and Cammy's, since they were on the edge of the Human district since they were a couple. 

They had all decided to walk, “It's be more fun!” Roxie had said, Alex humming in agreement. And no one was about to say no to Roxie or Alex. It took him a few minutes but soon he was there.

The apartment building was...... in a state of disrepair. It didn't look great, but considering it was on the edge, it wasn't that surprising. This building and its residents got a lot of hate from both sides. This was the place you went when most wouldn't accept you, he sighed. Cole was glad he had the mask, he wouldn't have to hold a smile in place, it got tiring after a while.

He pushed the buzzer and heard giggling from the other side. He chuckled, Cammy was definitely in the Halloween spirit, like he was each and every year.

“Boo!” The door swung open and there was a very happy Cammy, wearing a halo and angel wings, his whole outfit was white and very fluffy.

Cole chuckled “Won't you bow down to your pumpkin king?”

Cammy gasped, walking around him and looking at his costume “It is very nice on you Pumpkin King?” He bowed before giggling again and hugging him close.

Cole felt slightly awkward but gave him a few pats on the back, he still wasn't use to open affection.

“So where's the mate eh?” He asked

“Maybe you're just too tall to see him.” A robotic voice replied.

As soon as Cole turned his head down to him, he burst out laughing which angered the ant creature

“What are you laughing at?” The voice dead panned while Mike hit him lightly

Cole took a few minutes before replying “I just. Pffft.. I wasn't expecting such....Snrrk... Such a wonderful costume!”

It seemed Mike and Cammy teamed up on costumes this year, since Mike was wearing devil horns, had a devil tail and his whole costume was red. What Cole found so funny was that Mike was bald and 4ft10 next to his 5ft6 lover. Which made a hilarious contrast.

“You can stop laughing any time now.” His translator supplied.

Cole put his hand up in fake surrender “I apologise, you two are cute together!”

Cammy blushed and Mike clicked and chirped, Aww, Cole had embarrassed them.

Cole chuckled “Come on, We still got people to pick up! You two are only the first!” And with that, they started making their way to Roxie and Riley's. Cammy and Mike chatting away happily behind him.

Now they entered the main area of the Creature district, the flow of humans had stopped and more colourful creatures were out, all in costumes, most going to the festival. They smiled and waved, though most looked weirdly at Cole and Cammy, more so Cammy then Cole himself since Cole was mostly hidden by his costume.

They came to a nice little house in the centre and knocked on the door and who greeted them was a white sheet with two eye holes

“Booooo~” Riley said slowly before chuckling deeply

Cole rolled his eyes under his mask “Really Begonia? This is your costume?”

Riley chuckled “Bringing out the creature names, not sure if I should be honoured or insulted. A royal faux pas on my end!”

That was lead by a chorus of groans. Cole still didn't get what his sister saw in Begonia.

Roxie soon appeared in a pirate outfit, with Annie and Max “I thought we agreed on a pirate theme?”

Riley chuckled, taking off the sheet that hid his actual costume, a pirate one like the others and taking a hold of the shy Max, who was a lizard creature like his mother “Argh, you have me little missy, my plan did have a lot of.... holes in it”

And another chorus of groans. Including his daughter who was a butterfly creature like her dad, her wings fluttering.

Cole sighed “Can we go before I actually dip out because of your husbands awful puns?”

That's when he got two chorus of “Uncle Cole!” and two grabby hands towards him.

Cole chuckled, he did love his niece and nephew and ruffled their hair “Hi you two, have you been good to your momma?”

They both nodded excitedly with big smiles and Cole chuckled “If you two are good for the rest of the night, I'll be sure to get you something special~”

Roxie immediately hit his arm “Don't bribe my children!”  
Cole chuckled “Isn't that my job as uncle? I'm pretty sure it is!”

Roxie rolled her eyes and started moving “Let's go before you get yourself in debt with my kids”

Cole chuckled, happily following her and chatting “So how have things been?”

Roxie snorted “I'm sure you saw me yesterday Cole.”

The Pumpkin King smiled under his mask “Well that can change easily, Do I need to get some itching powder on your husband again?”

Roxie raised an eyebrow “So that was you?”

Cole whitened a little, ah, right, she didn't know that. Time to back pedal “I was just bringing up a suggestion” He shrugged

The pirate rolled her eyes “No, everything been fine. What is with you two?”

Cole didn't really want to answer, but luckily Alain's house wasn't far from Roxie's

The human pointed it out “Look it's Alain's place! Better get going!” And he rushed off

“Hey! You haven't gotten out of this Cole Inokke!” She shouted after him.

Alain's house was nice, nicely painted much like Roxie's, he was a doctor and even if he was a creature, that still got some nice things. He knocked on the blue door and heard a “Just a moment!”

Everyone had caught up to him when Alain opened the door. His face was painted green with black spots and what looked like part of his jaw missing, all his clothes were ripped and torn and he was even wearing contacts that make his eyes white. He was a zombie.

“Oh. Cole you don't have to worry about him eating you then. He only eats brains” A voice dead panned. Fucking Mike.

Everyone burst into laughter, even Roxie and Alain. Betrayal of the highest order! But he guessed this was revenge for his earlier laughing.

“Har dy har! A-holes! Just remember who writes your checks!” Cole responded after a good minute of them laughing.

There was a time where they would have stopped laughing then and looked down, apologising and avoiding eye contact. But they knew him better now, and so

“Yeah! Roxie does! which is why we're laughing!” Alain replied still chuckling. And another round of laughter started.

Cole turned and started walking, the chuckling followed before Roxie called out “Hey! Don't go! Come on, we'll stop!”

Cole chuckled and turned around, folding his arm and looking at the group. All of them smiling widely. He felt a smile cross his face, he loved seeing them happy.

Alain walked over and grabbed his shoulder “Come on, let's go to Alex's and then to the festival.”

Cole felt his smile drop, he realised he might have forgotten, he clicked his tongue and went “Ah.”

The creatures and human looked at each other, they knew that meant Cole hadn't told them something. But none of them could think of what that might be. Riley bit the bullet

“Ah?” He said, unsure

“Ah.” Cole repeated “So..... How does everyone feel about having another person with us?”

He was so happy for the mask, he felt the nervous smile cross his face and felt like he was sweating bullets. He had fucking forgot to tell them, fuck.

The creatures blinked and then chirps and chittering filled the air. Cole couldn't keep up with the conversation since they were talking so quickly.

Roxie coughed “Er.....Who is this extra person Cole?” She was nervous. None of them knew who Cole would be talking about

And Cole shuffling on the spot was not helping “Well.....” He started, looking at his feet. Everyone was starting to get on edge, Cole doesn't get nervous easily.

“....I invited Dane?” He finished, looking up at all of them. All of them were staring back blankly.

“Dane?” Roxie repeated “Part of the terrorist group C.H.R.A. Dane? Muscular bird Dane?”

And of course Cole did, what Cole does best when nervous, he rambles

“He's not part of C.H.R.A. any more and he seemed lonely and he helped us so much. He practically saved my life and I thought well, that you wouldn't mind and he said he hasn't been out celebrating since before the war and he seemed like-” Two hands went onto his shoulders stopping him.

“Cole, breathe, a deep breath” Cole followed Alain's instructions until he was back to normal

Alain smiled, stepping back “I'm alright with Dane joining if everyone else is.”

Mike nodded “He did help us out and who am I to say no.” Cammy agreed “The more the merrier!”

Roxie seemed nervous but sighed “If you think he's fine then..... He can come. He comes near my kids though and he goes home!”

Cole nodded and breathed in. Riley hummed “Fine with me, I'll keep an eye on him”

Cole was happy that they were all okay with this. He breathed in again “He does live in the.... shadier part so.... Meet up at Alex's?”

They all hummed, and chattered a bit in Creature dialect before nodding again with Alain stepping forwards

“I'll join you.” He nodded.

Cole looked at them all and knew, he wasn't going to win that argument. They were all still a bit nervous around him. So he nodded and they went.

The bird creature was following behind him in silence. A Pumpkin king being followed by a zombie. The houses started getting harsher, dirtier and the creatures were thinning out. It put him slightly on edge. A human so deep into the Creature District. Even though he was for equality for creatures, he knew some still hated him because he was the very thing that oppressed them. He was human.

“Why did you invite him?”

The question snapped him out of his thoughts, looking at Alain

Alain was staring at him “I mean, he did help us yes. But...” Alain then broke eye contact “He seems dangerous. I know your position with creatures but still. We should be cautious.”

Cole hummed, he understood where Alain was coming from. This was a bird creature that had worked for C.H.R.A. For years, who had fought and killed humans for years but....

“....He really thought he was doing better. He understood where they stood when they tried to kill me. Because, I might be human but I'm doing good work. And..... Well...” He blushed under his mask

He could feel Alain staring at him, burning through the mask. Then there was laughing and a light bump

“Oh! Oh ho ho! Does Cole have a crush? Does he have a crush of the big bad bird?” He said teasingly

Cole felt his blush darken, he was so glad he was wearing the pumpkin mask. Yes, he found the bird creature attractive with his dark feathers and light blue eyes, his light cooing and strong muscular chest.

He raised his head and spotted Dane's house, it was run down with bordered windows. But heck, he'd take a white van to get out of the teasing. He went quickly and knocked on the door.

There was a grunt from inside and he could feel Alain shuffling behind him, looking around. This neighbourhood was giving him the creeps. This was where Halloween lived 24/7

The door opened slowly to reveal a dark cloak with a scythe. Alain immediately put an arm in front of Cole as he pulled the hood down revealing Dane.

He chuckled nervously “Er..... Too much?” He leaned on the scythe, giving a tilted smile

Cole felt his blush coming back full force before chuckling “Well, it fits! We got a zombie, pirates, a devil, an angel, death and of course the great Pumpkin king!” He spread his arms wide

Dane hummed “And what a handsome king you make”

Cole almost choked and quickly grabbed his sleeve “Come on! We're meeting everyone at Alex's, eating some cake and then going to the festival and getting stomach aches from overdosing on sugar”

Dane chuckled, letting himself be dragged even though they both knew he could easily get out of his grasp. Alain chuckled harder and followed behind them.

God, Cole had never felt so flustered in years. Actually, now that he thought about it. He doesn't think he's ever been this flustered around anyone. Fuck. His grip tightened. Yes, he did invite him because he wanted to thank him, because he heard that he hasn't been to anything like this with anyone since the war and that had been decades ago. But.... He also saw how Cammy and Mike or Riley and Roxie acted in those places, all..... in love. Maybe he wanted a bit of that for himself. There was one problem..... He wasn't easily scared. Maybe he could pretend? Just get them alone, act all scared and then-

“Er.... Cole?” He heard the deep voice practically vibrate through him

Cole blinked, oh, they were here. How long had he stopped walking and was just staring at the pink door? He let him go quickly and patted himself down

“Sorry..... I was thinking of..... Something else” Smooth Cole Inokke, smooth. He knocked then entered

And as soon as he walked in, he saw Alex's costume and died. He doubled over, laughing

“Are you serious?!” He laughed, while hearing the other two birds lose it.

Alex, who was serving some pumpkin shaped cakes, was dressed up as cthulhu. The octopus creature, was dressed, as cthulhu. He didn't know if that was lazy or brilliant.

It took a good five minutes for Cole and the two bird creatures to calm down. They all sat down, and chatted, turns out they all had broke down laughing at Alex's costume. They chatted and ate lightly, though Cole was slightly distracted.

They were all a bit awkward around Dane at first, but after Annie was happy enough to chat with him, everyone started warming up to Dane. His smile was amazing, the sharp teeth should have terrified him, but they didn't. 

He loved seeing him happy, he loved seeing them all happy. Sure Alex's angler teeth were sharp and long, but that smile was bright and happy. Dane's and Alain's teeth were sharp as well, but it was all still a smile. Happiness. It was great, never feeling afraid, to see the happiness behind the chittering and chirping, the smile full of sharp teeth. He was sad that other humans couldn't see this. Couldn't see those smiles of happiness. 

And soon, it was time to move. And so the happy party started moving towards the Halloween festival. It was really nice. The decorations glowed in the evening glow, pumpkins and skeletons. It was never that big, they barely got any funds. Which is why Inokke Labs always helped out. Because sure, they could donate to other things, which they do. In Cole's eyes, every child should be able to celebrate these little holidays.

There was a little speech, as there was each year. Ending with a 'And thank you to Inokke Labs, for helping with the funds to this year's Halloween event, as they do each year' They all asked for a speech which Cole reluctantly went up to do.

Seeing all the creatures looking at him with bright smiles. It made him relax, he was always much more relaxed around Creatures than Humans.

“Another year has passed and Halloween is here once again! And as the wonderful Pumpkin king!” He heard chuckles from the crowd and happy chirping from the kids “I declare this event started! Make your king proud and rain tricks and treats!” and with that, the crowd moved into the festival.

A dark cloak came up to him and bent down “You fund this event?” Dane asked quietly

Cole chuckled, the group starting to walk “Yeah, I do. Everyone should have a nice festival. A nice day for kids and such. Plus the Creature one is much more interesting then the Human one”

Dane chuckled and they moved forwards.

There was food and games galore. Of course, it was much smaller than the Human one, but still, it was nice. They went through all of it, eating way too much sugar and playing a lot of the games. In fact they were just coming from Cole losing five games in a row.

“How does Cole lose so many games?” Alex asked, chuckling slightly

“Come on, they're so rigged!” He sighed “And these gloves are hard to play with!”

Mike clicked happily “I don't know, sounds like a lot of excuses to me” The translator stated

Cole groaned “Shut it Sequoia!”

They all burst out laughing then “Wow, the creature name coming out now, must really be on the defensive” Mike responded

“Who knew the Pumpkin king was so bad at games?” Roxie chuckled

“Well, maybe the power of Halloween has not awoken in him yet?” Alain smiled

The mocking went on for a few minutes and Cole decided to get his revenge

“And what exactly is the excuse of the pirate that lost the shoot out?” He tilted his head at Roxie

Dane chuckled “Yeah, if you actually become a pirate, I'm not joining your crew if you paid me!”

Roxie started blushing hard and spluttering as everyone else laughed before she pointed “Look, it's the haunted house!”

They all turned and saw the old looking house, covered in webs and skeletons. Speakers blasted thunder. And Cole chuckled, this looked like a good opportunity. He walked forwards and looked at the sign next to it, humming.

They had to go and find a key and escape through the basement. Simple enough. Then there was even a little back garden maze to finally escape. They hopped in line, chatting to each other and chuckling.

Roxie hummed “I think I'll stay here with the kids”

Riley chuckled “Ditto.”

Cole nodded and they split into twos. Cammy and Mike went first then after a good half hour, Alain and Alex went in. Cole waited nervously, shuffling on his feet while he and Dane waited for their turn.

When the doors opened, Dane grabbed his hand and smiled “I'll protect you”

Cole just chuckled lightly and followed Dane. Time to find the keys.

Cole was.... disappointed at the moment. It was set up so they had to go through specific rooms, he understood why, it was easier. But pretty much, it was walking into a room and someone jumping out, The bird creature jumped but Cole..... He couldn't even pretend to be scared or unsuspecting. He sighed, he knew where they were hiding because..... He was used to listening to bumps. His hearing was great. And whereas Dane might jump, he wasn't scared either. It seemed the haunted house was a bad choice for both of them.

Soon they entered a dining room, it had a grand table and corpses in every chair, like they had died there. Wine was split on the ground and the food looked repulsive, there were eyeballs and spiders and cobwebs, it was incredibly dim in the room, there was a dead spider creature, snake creature, dog creature, another dog creature, jellyfish creature and a fish creature. They had already been through the hallway, the kitchen, the bedroom, the bathroom and even the attic. Cole saw the key on the table and went over to pick it up.

As his hand gripped the key, it being nearest to the snake creature. Her hand grabbed his harshly, actually making him jump and look up into red eyes “Stay with us........ Stay with me, my son” She said in a raspy voice.

Cole gulped, starting to shake, tugging at her arm. The other creatures were raising up. So Dane moved forwards and grabbed the key, trying to pry the snake creature off of him.

“Son......... Stay...... With us......” She said with her rasp and a wide smile.

Cole started shaking harder, tears falling down his face, his mind flashing back. She was on the ground, the same red but on her head, not in her eyes “Stay with me Cole. Please....” Her voice had been raspy as well.

“Mother...” He said quietly, in a tear filled voice. This shocked the snake creature, getting her to let go and her face soften, she was about to ask something when Dane picked him up and ran to the basement.

There was a shuffle and the sound of a radio going off. But nothing else. Dane opened the door and put the key in the box outside. They were now in the maze portion.

Cole immediately came down and ran into the maze, he really didn't want to be seen right now. He went left and right, going back and forwards, until he couldn't hear Dane. He sat down in a dead end, taking off his mask and breathing harshly and curling up.

He soon felt a hand on his shoulder and he flinched, looking up into Dane's concerned face. Of course he found him, he's a runner, he can run much faster than him. Especially being a falcon.

“Are you alright Cole?” He asked lightly  
Cole breathed in deeply, rubbing his eyes “Not really no.... That snake freaked me out” It was a bit of a lie, but he didn't feel like delving into his past right now.

Dane hummed before picking him up in his arms, guiding Cole's head to his chest and just sitting against the hedge “Shh.... It's alright. I'm here, I'll protect you.”

Cole sniffled but leant against his chest, hearing his strong heartbeat. He felt Dane's hand going up and down his back lightly. The other stroking his hair lightly. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling. Then he heard a growl from Dane

Looking up at his face, he saw that his teeth were bared “Not now. Later.” He growled out, Cole blinked, going to turn before having his head shoved back against Dane's chest.

The growling went away and he was just about to ask what brought out the hostility until Dane answered himself

“It was just some workers. Don't know if they just came here to scare us or to check up on us, but I wasn't having any of it”

Cole nodded and leant back, listening again to his heartbeat and feeling the soothing stroking motion of Dane's stroking. Humming lightly, getting his breathing back under control and calming down.

The blue bird creature leant down near his ear and whispered “Are you feeling better now?”

Cole hummed in reply, nodding lightly. They hugged each other for a few more moments before Cole got up 

“Come on, we better get going unless you want the others to search for us and get lost in the maze”

Dane chuckled, standing up and handing over the Pumpkin King mask which Cole put back over his head. Dane grabbed his hand and started walking with him, looking back and smiling.

It took a few minutes to find the exit, the workers had seemed to back off of them, not trying to scare them. Cole felt a little bad, they were just doing their job and then he just had to freak out and get Dane growling at them.

When they returned to the group that were out, there was excited chatter about the haunted house and whining from Annie that she didn't see it. Honestly, Cole just wanted to go home, his little panic attack took a lot out of him. But he didn't say anything as they went off again to play more games, Cole just didn't play any, saying that his ego was still bruised from the last few.

He was leaning up against a pole, looking at the ground and trying to think of the best excuse he could make to be able to go home, when a plush pumpkin cat was thrust into his face.

It was bright orange with glowing eyes to imitate that of a carved pumpkin, it was adorable. Cole looked up to see a slightly blushing Dane on the other end.

“I er..... I won this at the.... Shooting gallery and well..... Thought you'd... like it” He muttered into his chest.

Cole smiled, lifting up his mask so that Dane could see and accepting the pumpkin cat from him. It was very adorable and though normally he would give any plush prizes to Annie or Max, it warmed his heart that Dane gave it to him.

“Thank you, that's nice of you.” He smiled before lowering the mask again “The Pumpkin king can only have a pumpkin cat!” He chuckled lightly

Dane chuckled alongside him before it tethered off, leaving silence between the two. It stretched and stretched, though it didn't feel uncomfortable.

“You er.... Seem tired” Dane finally said after a minute of silence

Cole hummed, running his finger over the bumps of the pumpkin cat “Yeah, that er.... Experience at the haunted house took...... Took a lot out of me.”

Dane hummed before reaching out a hand “Want me to take you home?”

He tilted his head and coughed “I.. er... I live in the Human district.”

The bird chuckled at that “Then let me rephrase, want me to make a good excuse so that we can go home?”

Cole looked around, making sure there were no eavesdropping creatures before nodding “Please.”

The bird nodded and grabbed one of his arms, dragging him back to the group “As much as I've enjoyed this outing. I need to get back before it gets dark, plus I need to show Cole a little something for er.... Next time there's an.... incident.”

The group looked unnerved, looking to Cole who nodded “It's alright. Have fun! I'll probably head home since by the time Dane is finished it'll most likely be late.”

They all nodded, each saying their farewells with hugs before Dane and Cole made their way to Dane's house.

The walk was made in silence again, as Cole stuck closely to Dane, right up until he was at his front door, looking through his keys to open it

“Er.... Thank you.... for getting us out. Both in the haunted house and of the festival”

Dane chuckled “No problem. It's okay to be afraid, and you seem like the type of person that'll do anything for anyone else, even if you're uncomfortable with it”

He hummed, nodding slightly, he guessed he could come across as that type of person. He could see why Dane would think that way about him. Maybe.... Maybe one day he could tell him why he was afraid?.... Maybe.... He didn't know if he was looking forward to or dreading that day.

“But anyway, thank you for inviting me! I had a lot of fun. And it was nice to do something.... normal”

Cole chuckled “It's no problem. None at all”

Dane hummed and they both just..... stood there. Dane leaning against his open door frame, Cole just looking at him, the silence stretching. There was so much to say and yet, nothing at all. They just kept staring. It lasted minutes upon minutes before Cole finally decided to step away, starting to walk before turning back.

Dane had been leaning slightly forwards and had a bit of a surprised look on his face

“Don't be a stranger to the labs okay? And.... actually...” Cole gulped and brought out a pen and paper, he couldn't believe he was doing this. He scribbled on it and gave it to Dane

Cole coughed “My.... personal phone number. Don't be giving it out, call me if you want to.... you know.... hang out again.” And with that Cole started backing away, finger gunning Dane before moving down the street for his way home. But not before hearing a

“Don't worry, we'll see each other again Cole” And a door closing.

Cole's heart felt a little lighter as he made his way home to his apartment. This Halloween wasn't so bad after all.


End file.
